Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation
Organ transplantation has proven to provide curative treatment for most end stage solid organ diseases. Given this success, transplantation therapies have been proposed for certain tissues and functions lost due to trauma or that arise from congenital anomalies. Vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA) refers to the transfer of non-autologous peripheral tissues including skin, muscle, nerve, and bone as a functional unit (e.g. a hand) to replace non-reconstructible tissue defects. To date, approximately 80 patients worldwide have received a VCA and the potential to experience substantial growth in this field is evident. As such, VCA transplantation requires specific issues to be addressed for donors and recipients. This chapter focuses on the past, present and future of VCAs as a partner in transplantation. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
